"I did not get hurt, but so dirty" - Tadej Pogacar reveals Paris-Roubaix recon crashes and tyre size choice
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is at the start of Paris-Roubaix this morning in Compiègne with a special bike that has been tested on several occasions before the big day. Throughout the recons of the route, the World Champion has tested out different bike setups for his Colnago bike and also revealed that he has crashed whilst exploring the route on previous visits.
"It was so muddy it was not even cobbles, we were basically riding on the field," Pogacar said in a pre-race interview, as reported by TNT Sports. "I crashed twice, but luckily there was so much mud I did not get hurt, but so dirty".
Initially Pogacar was in northern France in early December right before the start of his first team training camp in the Costa Blanca, and later on he was in Roubaix on at least one more occasion before returning for a few days this week into the big weekend.
But throughout the winter the cobbled sectors are not maintained as much and the winter weather naturally creates more dangerous conditions, with the mud being present a lot more on what are essentially farm roads.
Special bike for a special race
He is taking to the start of Roubaix with an aero bike, something which perfectly outlines the technological advances of the sport in recent years. Former winner Servais Knaven argued recently how the development of tubeless tyres has allowed the riders to race with much wider tyres in this race without experiencing losses on the roads themselves, which leads to a massive increase in comfort and also allowed lighter riders to race with the more traditional heavyweight classics specialists.
"It was really good. In Paris-Roubaix the technology, the tyres, the frames are always developing. It is not as targeted as the road bikes, so there is always still room for improvement. I think we definitely did upgrade from last year, but I think everybody is doing upgrades for the years to come".
Over the decades the tyres have become wider and wider across all fronts and in Roubaix it is a day where the choices are very specific and deliberate. The World Champion didn't make it a secret on what he will be racing with: "The front is 35mm, the back is 32."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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